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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

That this is weird as hell - car - is it for sale?

113 replies

Balibo · 22/02/2023 15:24

So DH and I have moved to a more rural location down South. We're both originally from a big city up North. We have a fairly large house, on a main road with a large driveway. We park our cars on the driveway obviously. We have 3 cars. 1 car though we've just acquired. It belongs to a family member who recently passed away.

Twice in the last few months (once today and once a few months back - when we only had 2 cars) two seperate men have come to the door, knocked and asked if one specific car is for sale.....it's not a fancy car. It's a Ford.

The first time I thought that's weird but didn't think much more of it. Today though I think it's really weird. I was caught off guard because I'd decided to have a shower and wash my hair in the middle of the day. So I'm there with wet hair in my dressing gown having dashed from the shower to get the door (assuming it would be a parcel or something). Not very relevant but just setting the scene that I felt blindsided.

So today I said - you're the second person who has asked that, why do you think I'm selling my car? And he said because it doesn't look like it's being used.

We live on a main road with a high fence all around our driveway. We have neighbours opposite us - it wasn't them asking and then it's quite a distance to the next house. We aren't overlooked by anyone.

How can anyone who is just driving past - know whether we are using the car or not? He said I have a friend just up the road..... but i was thinking so your friend up the road is tracking how much I drive?

It's really weirded me out. If you were looking to buy a car - why not fb marketplace, auto trader, or a car show room - surely not just knock on a random person's door??

I don't understand at all. I said to my DH I feel like reporting this somewhere it doesn't feel normal - he said no I'm being daft but it is weird. Who is tracking our house/my movements to know whether we use the car.....if it matters I don't use the car.....but that's what's freaking me out - like they know I'm not using it but I'm not overlooked by anyone. It's a country road, an A road. Our driveway is private. Yes you can see the cars if you walk or drive past our house but how would someone know we werent using the car? There's only one house who could feasibly track our daily movements and it's not her. The car is in good repair. It doesn't look like a heap of crap on the driveway.

Just to clarify I have rarely used this Ford even before I got the other car because I generally drive my husbands car. But we've always needed two cars incase he's out for the day with work etc because I still need to do nursery runs etc

IABU? Is this just us with a big city mentality being suspicious over something we needn't be?

Also if this matters they both came at a similar time during the working week. Rather than say a Saturday.

Yabu - happens all the time
Yanbu - that's really weird

OP posts:
AGoodDayForSomebodyElseToDie · 23/02/2023 12:03

This happens to me a lot as I have an older, desirable type of car which is also discontinued (definitely not a Ford!) on the drive. It doesn't get driven much, so apparently this gives people the right to interrupt me at their convenience, by ringing the door bell to ask if it's for sale. It's astoundingly rude - if I wanted to sell it, I wouldn't do so to any random who comes to the door. I'd be marketing and advertising it appropriately to get the best price (and the best home for my beloved car).

It's cheeky, obnoxious and it's almost always bloody men who do it 🙄 It's particularly frustrating when they follow up by trying to argue with you about why you should sell it. I don't need to justify myself to anyone, and I don't owe anyone a car.

TLDR: it's a thing, but it is damn rude and you're not unreasonable to be annoyed about it!

ProfessionalWeirdo · 23/02/2023 15:36

And all the symbols they keep putting on the pavements! I think it's the broadband blokes that are dodgy because when the roads are marked up for burglary they always appear shortly after. Shady as fuck!

I used to know a lady whose neighbour wouldn't cancel her newspaper delivery when she went on holiday. She'd heard that the paperboys/girls were paid by the local burglars to let them know when a delivery order had been cancelled, because it was a sign that the house would be empty for a while.

Another friend is reluctant to get a taxi to the airport when she goes away, because she harbours similar suspicions about taxi drivers.

DramaLlama20 · 23/02/2023 17:11

AGoodDayForSomebodyElseToDie · 23/02/2023 12:03

This happens to me a lot as I have an older, desirable type of car which is also discontinued (definitely not a Ford!) on the drive. It doesn't get driven much, so apparently this gives people the right to interrupt me at their convenience, by ringing the door bell to ask if it's for sale. It's astoundingly rude - if I wanted to sell it, I wouldn't do so to any random who comes to the door. I'd be marketing and advertising it appropriately to get the best price (and the best home for my beloved car).

It's cheeky, obnoxious and it's almost always bloody men who do it 🙄 It's particularly frustrating when they follow up by trying to argue with you about why you should sell it. I don't need to justify myself to anyone, and I don't owe anyone a car.

TLDR: it's a thing, but it is damn rude and you're not unreasonable to be annoyed about it!

Put a cover over it when not in use if it bothers you so much, you sound a bit rude yourself to be honest. I used to take it as a compliment when people would try and make us offers for our old cars, but if I didn't want them to I'd cover them up when not in use.

Fuckityfuckfuck123 · 23/02/2023 17:25

Possible they've seen it, think you ate desperate to get rid of it, but haven't been able to.
So they could push their luck for a little bargain
Also, that year of fiesta is pretty economical to run. No tax to pay I'd assume like my 7 year old fiesta.

blor · 24/02/2023 00:03

When my grandfather stopped driving we stored his ford on our drive and someone came the house asking to buy it too ... in Northern Ireland. I think it may have been for scrap

girlfriend44 · 24/02/2023 00:13

AGoodDayForSomebodyElseToDie · 23/02/2023 12:03

This happens to me a lot as I have an older, desirable type of car which is also discontinued (definitely not a Ford!) on the drive. It doesn't get driven much, so apparently this gives people the right to interrupt me at their convenience, by ringing the door bell to ask if it's for sale. It's astoundingly rude - if I wanted to sell it, I wouldn't do so to any random who comes to the door. I'd be marketing and advertising it appropriately to get the best price (and the best home for my beloved car).

It's cheeky, obnoxious and it's almost always bloody men who do it 🙄 It's particularly frustrating when they follow up by trying to argue with you about why you should sell it. I don't need to justify myself to anyone, and I don't owe anyone a car.

TLDR: it's a thing, but it is damn rude and you're not unreasonable to be annoyed about it!

Put a sign on saying nor for sale, then they won't ask.problem Solved.

WiddlinDiddlin · 24/02/2023 03:31

I think whilst theres always the possibility of something dodgy these days, you've also moved to a rural area and just not used to rural ways.

Perfectly normal for someone near you to have spotted your car, mentioned it in the pub, someone else has heard and popped by to ask about it - as others are saying, second hand Fords are sought after, likely the local grape vine knows damn well theres two of you so three cars is one too many, and maybe their assumption is you'd keep the SUV, not the Ford...

Just say no, and take the usual safety precautions and try not to worry about it - but if you do have a local pub, go in it... they're a useful community hub (usually) and the more you're around and talk to folk, the more people are known to you, the less freaky and weird it seems... (*well.. until you get to know the rural weirdos, then you realise how weird they are, then after a while it becomes normal to you too... ).

SchoolTripDrama · 24/02/2023 09:27

LikeTearsInRain · 22/02/2023 19:22

Dognappers hun xoxo

Netmums is that way —>

BellatrixLestrangesHeatedCurlers · 24/02/2023 10:10

AH yes. They're always a certain type of man. I can't type it otherwise I'll probably be banned. But yeah we have people like that round our way here. I wouldn't buy any type of lucky purple flower from them if they asked eitther.

Flickfifo · 25/02/2023 13:25

@Ionlydrinkondaysendinginy

I had the opposite childhood to you

very happy, very loving, very financially comfortable and very much bought toys throughout the year

I am now a financially independent professional single mother. Very sorted financially.

CharlotteStreetW1 · 25/02/2023 13:29

UdoU · 22/02/2023 15:34

Seems a very inefficient way to find a car.

Is this car really clean whilst the other car is muddy?

I was going to ask that. A clean car in the country in winter is very unusual if it's being driven regularly.

AGoodDayForSomebodyElseToDie · 02/03/2023 11:45

girlfriend44 · 24/02/2023 00:13

Put a sign on saying nor for sale, then they won't ask.problem Solved.

Show quote history

No, I definitely shouldn't have to do that because other people can't mind their own business and think they're entitled to come and pester (and, on occasion, attempt to bully) me into selling my car 😂

FWIW, I've had people leave polite messages asking to buy it, which is fine - but men arguing on my doorstep that I should sell them my car because they want it, and therefore I should give it to them, not so much.

BloodyHellKen · 02/03/2023 12:13

OP, as others have said, they are dodgy geezers probably casing your house to see if you're in during the day. If I were you I'd get a ring doorbell so you have a record of who is knocking at your door.

As for people saying it's normal to knock on a strangers door to ask if their car is for sale in the country. No it isn't. I've lived in town and country and IMO it's weird and inappropriate wherever you happen to live.

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